Louise Moran - Böcker

As inter-institutional collaboration has become a key policy issue in distance and higher education, strategic alliances for course development, teaching and credit transfer have become a central feature of institutional culture and policy-making. Distance educators are leading higher education around the world in overcoming the many problems involved in collaboration to forge exciting new institutional links with significant benefits for students and institutions. Through Canadian, Australian, American and Malaysian case studies, this ground-breaking book identifies and analyses the key factors enhancing and inhibiting collaboration. The high incidence of failed collaborative ventures indicates that the dynamics and strategies for success are poorly understood. This book seeks to redress that lack of understanding, and to assist in future policy-making, in distance education and throughout the higher education field. The authors conclude that a culture of `collaborative individualism' is emerging which is playing a significant part in the profound changes occurring in the nature and practice of higher education. The authors are internationally well-known and highly regarded distance educators, with first-hand knowledge of the difficulties and benefits of collaborative ventures.

Conventional apprenticeships and older methods of professional training are not providing enough skilled workers - governments, companies and colleges are now using open and distance learning to fill these gaps.Published in association with the Commonwealth of Learning, this unique review provides detailed analysis of worldwide experiences of vocational training and distance education. It looks at recent policy and practice at different levels - from transnational programmes and national policies to institutional and programme models. Offering guidance on how distance education and new technologies are being used to support vocational education and training, this book will help senior institutional managers and policy makers to understand and appreciate:* the role distance education can play in increasing skills levels in young people and the existing workforce* the challenges in using educational technologies, and distance education to deliver vocational education and training* how to devise effective policies to meet these challenges.